The Vitrolum Republic Live at the Church of the Gesu

There a few things that define the true mettle of a musical group. The band must first write and perform music that elicits an emotional response: this is always important for you to truly feel the music. It’s not just coming up with a cookie-cutter top 40 hit, but it’s the way the music creeps into your bones, your soul, your very being. Also, it helps if the group in question performs well live. The Vitrolum Republic, reviewed here, is one such band.

Milwaukee based The Vitrolum Republic recently released Highbrow Sideshows and Rowboat Serenades to great acclaim. At least, my acclaim, which is about as great as acclaim one can really get. A sound of Southern Bluegrass mixed with haunting melodies with gospel influence and Cajun twang, The Vitrolum Republic is that one such group that gets into the little tiny veins that run to the tips of your fingers. Even more so when you watch them perform live.

While I didn’t have the pleasure of being there in person, The Vitrolum Republic recently performed live at one of Milwaukee’s oldest landmarks, the cathedral in downtown Milwaukee on the campus of Marquette University called the Church of the Gesu. The performance was in conjunction with the opening of Current Tendencies II at the Haggerty Museum of Art. The exhibit features sound sculptures by The Vitrolum Republic’s Jordan Waraska. The Vitrolum Republic – Jordan, along with band members Chuck Lawton (a fellow GeekDad), Benjamin Schaefer and Nick Waraksa – added organist John Weissrock for this acoustically enlightened live performance. The whole performance has been compiled and released as Cream City Sessions ~ Gesu Cathedral over at Bandcamp, as a free or name your own price album.

This is music that you can escape into, sort of how I feel when I listen to the siren voice of artists like Marian Call. This is just “take me away” music, perfect when you need an hour of zen. It’s not that it’s relaxing, just that it has that mystery, that sense of feeling and being that you have no choice but to succumb to. Live, seeing the emotion play out along with improvisation only adds to the growing legend of The Vitrolum Republic. Well, don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself, here’s a couple videos from their recent performance. First up “A Sinking Ship/Rowboat Serenade” then “Willow Song.” You can check out the rest on their website. See you on the other side.

When he's not wrestling gators for rights to the swamp down in Florida, Curtis is slamming away on the computer, a true captain of industry. Modeled after the legendary folk heroes of yore, Curtis stands tall, carries a big stick and often swings it. Aside from contributing to GeekDad, he's also a Brand Ambassador for Gunnar Optiks, Co-Executive Editor at Technorati.com, Contributor at Medium.com and writer of a delusional travel blog called Heathens of the Plains. He can be reached by holding out your hands in a non threatening manner, or pretty much always on Twitter @cebsilver or ego tripping on Facebook